New Delhi, March 21 (IANS) Amid the political bickering between the Centre and rival parties over the ‘One Nation, One Election’ (ONOE), a city-based outfit comprising lawyers, professors and students has pressed for its early implementation.
The volunteer group identifying itself as the ‘Samvidhan Support’ group held a press conference on Friday and also unveiled its plans to launch stirs and peaceful marches to pressurise the government for its clearance from the Parliament and subsequent roll-out.
Notably, the high-level panel on ONOE headed by former President Ram Nath Kovind submitted its extensive report on conducting simultaneous elections in March and also recommended local body elections within 100 days. The proposal has long been championed by PM Modi on account of its potential to cut election expenses, however, the Opposition has seen the move with suspicion. A bill for implementing the scheme was tabled in Parliament, last year, sparking furious debates.
Meanwhile, the Samvidhan Support group has outlined its plan to launch its second round of demonstrations for the ONOE, hoping to build public support for the country’s biggest electoral reform.
The outfit is set to launch ‘awareness campaigns’ at various Delhi University colleges, in both North and South Campus, in the next two to three days.
A day-long fasting protest is also planned on March 26 at Jantar Mantar, where more than 1,000 youths and volunteers are likely to assemble to raise their voices for ushering in the reform. A day later on March 27, they will hold a peaceful march from Dr Ambedkar’s statue to the Parliament building to press for their demands on electoral reforms.
Harsh Dahia, a Supreme Court advocate and the leading volunteer of Samvidhan Support Group said that the purpose of their movement is to ensure early implementation of the ‘One Nation, One Election’ policy.
“Volunteers of the group will sit on fasting and further chalk out future strategy,” he said.
Devendra Bhardwaj, professor and another volunteer of the group said that it was time that the nation reverts to the 1967 model and set a precedent by holding simultaneous elections.
The ONOE has been a long-held demand, given the fact that the country remains in a perennial election mode and sees a splurge of public money on elections, every year. If the ONOE becomes a reality, it will not only streamline the country’s electoral landscape by synchronising the elections for 28 states and Central elections but will also cut whopping costs, which experts believe could boost India’s GDP by about 1.5 per cent.
–IANS
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